As educators we work to equip students with the knowledge and tools for success in the classroom and beyond.

We are proud of Southport High School’s Counseling Department for helping to set the standard for effective counseling programs. Named a 2017 Gold Star School by the Indiana Department of Education, the program was recognized for its commitment to raising student achievement.

The Gold Star recognition is given to schools that have a counselor-led steering team that has met specific criteria identified for the development of a comprehensive school counseling model. Southport’s department prides itself on using data to support its students.

The department’s successes are not by chance; they are by design. Counselors track how they spend their time in assisting kids each day. They examine how they could do things differently. They worked with a steering committee of teachers, administrators and community members to determine goals for the program and what students need to be successful. It was a year-long process. Their efforts are strategic and intentional.

The department believes, as noted by its vision statement, that “all students deserve a rigorous curriculum, engaging instruction and extra help as needed in order to progress along the pathway to their personal, educational and career goals that are aligned with the students’ individual developmental needs.” The department understands that “all students deserve individualized attention in a safe learning environment where high expectations are established and students are supported to achieve at the utmost level.”

Southport’s counseling team is a small army of one director and five counselors who are available to encourage and empower approximately 2,250 students. The team desires for all students to become successful lifelong learners and positive contributors to society.

Every spring the counseling program hosts a remarkable career fair, which allows students to interact with more than 100 organizations, including businesses, colleges, nonprofits and military branches.

Exposure to a variety of industries and professionals is vital to teaching students that they have options. They may discover occupations that they had never considered or decide to pursue opportunities at companies they never knew existed. This exposure helps them to think outside their neighborhoods and beyond what is familiar. It helps them to grow.

We are proud of the academic and emotional support that all of our counselors provide to students at each of our schools. Our counselors work closely with administrators, teachers and parents, and they are a crucial component to promoting a comfortable, productive school environment.​Visit http://www.perryschools.org/shguidance/ for more information.

​We are only two months into the new school year, yet we have accomplished so much. We have hosted grand openings at our four new kindergarten academies. We commemorated the grand opening of Falcon Stadium and hosted the team’s first homecoming on its own turf – just to name a few of our events.

It has been a thrill to watch our community come together to support each of these milestones. This week we would like to extend an invitation to another special occasion: On Friday at 6:30 p.m. we will officially change the name of Perry Stadium to Cardinal Stadium.

Anyone who has driven by Southport in the past few months has already noticed the transformation taking place. Signage that once marked the turf as Perry Stadium is gone. Now the scoreboard and bleachers proudly display the Cardinal moniker and logo. While we celebrate the new era of the new name, we will also show our respect and appreciation for the stadium’s rich history.

The stadium was constructed in 1936 and named Roosevelt Stadium because it was a product of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration initiative.

Once Perry Meridian High School was built in 1973, district leaders decided that both schools would share the stadium. Therefore, they changed the name to Perry Stadium to represent Southport and Perry Meridian high schools.

In 2013, Ray Skillman Auto Group generously financed artificial turf for the field, which became known as Ray Skillman Field. Ray Skillman Field at Cardinal Stadium continues to serve as a beloved gathering place for several generations in the Perry Township community.

It took a great amount of teamwork from each school to alternate schedules and make this arrangement work for so long. Yet, these township rivals did so with a great attitude.

Now, here we are, 44 years later, changing the name once again to commemorate a new phase. Now that the Falcons play at their own stadium, the Cardinals will call their school’s stadium “home.”​We hope you will join us when we dedicate the stadium with its new name. We will unveil a plaque inscribed with a brief summary of the stadium’s history while fondly looking back on the memories and looking forward to making new ones. The Southport-Franklin Central game follows at 7 p.m.

The Indianapolis community – especially our Southside neighbors – play a vital role in supporting Perry Township Schools. Kind-hearted partners give of their time and resources to position our students and educators for success. One of our valued partners is the Perry Township Education Foundation, a grant-making organization that raises funds to support innovative and creative programs to enhance learning.

Since its inception, PTEF has funded more than $1.2 million in grants. Last year it awarded teachers 59 grants – up to $1,250 – for a total of $62,000. Teachers are chosen based on their applications, which describe how the awards will help them facilitate specific projects.

One of the foundation’s annual signature events to support these grants is Coach Hathaway’s Running South, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 30, at Southport High School’s Cardinal Stadium. Registration is underway for runners and walkers, who can sign up for the 10K, 5K, 1-mile fun run/walk or the quarter-mile kiddie romp with the Perry Township Schools’ mascots. There is something for everyone of all ages.

The event bears coach Tom Hathaway’s name because of his passion for racing. At age 79 he was the oldest finisher at the inaugural Running South. Before his death in April 2012, Mr. Hathaway ran 131 marathons and countless other races. In fact, he ran one marathon in each state, gaining him entry into the 50 States Marathon Club.

Running was in coach Hathaway’s blood. He taught and coached cross-country and track at Perry Township Schools for 46 years, most of that time at Southport High, where a memorial stands in his honor. Mr. Hathaway also taught track and field at IUPUI for five years; he coached and taught at University of Indianapolis for more than eight. He was a beloved mentor to hundreds of runners.

Every year it is an honor to see hundreds in our community come together to honor coach Hathaway’s memory and to support education. Last year Running South raised $15,894 and attracted more than 800 participants. With your help, the foundation hopes to build on that success.

The initiative, led by the Indiana Department of Education and Common Sense Education, helps families and educators teach kids how to be safe and smart in today’s media-driven world.

Times have changed. The internet has placed information at our fingertips and connected the world in ways we have never imagined, but it has also emboldened bullies who find joy in antagonizing and insulting from behind the screen.

When our administrators learn about incidents of bullying, we work to resolve it in a timely manner. We try to teach the bully about social media responsibility, and we work to support the student on the receiving end of the taunts. Even when we are not faced with situations of internet cruelty, we recognize the importance of educating students to make wise choices online.

During the week we will use resources from Common Sense Education to empower our students – at every grade level – to think critically, behave safely and participate responsibly with technology in and out of school. The resources will help us continue important conversations throughout the school year.

Our goal is to prepare children to use digital media while limiting the risks of the online world such as damage to one’s digital reputation, loss of privacy, cyberbulling and copyright infringement.

It is imperative for students to understand they can never really be sure who is on the other end of their computer correspondence. Providing a stranger with a home address or other personal information can lead to dangerous situations. Texting or emailing inappropriate photos can result in the images being posted on the internet forever.

Even apps that claim to delete content should not be trusted because the recipient can capture a screengrab, which could end up in the wrong hands. Students need to understand that less is more when it comes to online sharing.

The Department of Education has provided all of our schools with a comprehensive toolkit that will help our educators plan, connect and promote our digital citizenship efforts. Each day they will teach grade-appropriate lesson plans about social media responsibility while helping to develop positive digital habits that focus on the safe use of technology.

Teachers and principals will also use social media to inform parents of a variety of topics, including understanding digital slang, maximizing kids’ learning with technology and identifying the best learning apps.

For more information about the week, visit www.doe.in.gov/digcitweek; for more information about Common Sense, visit www.commonsense.org.​We look forward to making this amazing week for our students and the entire Perry community!